


Rumors

by stitchlesswitch



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Eventual Smut, Fluff, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:53:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29713314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stitchlesswitch/pseuds/stitchlesswitch
Summary: Gossip at the castle pre-calamity cause Zelda and Link to grow closer together.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 99





	1. Proud of You

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hoping to actually add chapters! Whether or not I will is a surprise to us both! The odds of me continuing to add chapters increase if you comment telling me you want me to add chapters. I also take suggestions (plot and fluff is hard).

Something was off. The other knights seem to be more scared of her than usual. Which normally she wouldn’t notice, except now, they seemed to be equally terrified of Link, which was new. The knights would noticeably stiffen at their approach, refusing to make eye contact. She thought she noticed one missing. She didn’t know his name, but there used to be a particular face that would report to Link as head of the Royal Guard each day, who she has not seen in at least a week. 

They were walking down a stone cobble corridor in the castle, Link walking silently behind her. They had just passed two frightened knights.

“Link?” he moved forward to walk alongside her. “Where is that one knight that would report to you each day?”

He didn’t miss a beat, and kept looking ahead. “He’s been dismissed, your Highness.”

She looked over at him. “Oh? On whose authority?”

“Mine.” He still didn’t look at her. She focused her gaze forward. That was unusual. 

“On what grounds?”

Now he paused for a beat. “Unbecoming conduct.” 

She almost scoffed. For Link, that could mean having the audacity of showing an emotion. 

“Where is he now?”

“Infirmary.” 

Her pace slowed, curiosity peaked. “Why?”

“Broken jaw.”

She looked at him suspiciously, eyes narrowing. She noticed that as he still looked straight ahead, a muscle in his jaw was strained.

“Who broke his jaw?” It was an accusation, not a question; she already knew the answer. 

Another beat passed before he spoke. “I did.”

Her pace slowed even further. The look on her face was incredulous. “Why?”

He took a whole five steps before responding. “He spoke ill of your Highness.”

“Treasonously?”

“No.”

“Well what did he say?”

Three steps. “I’d rather not say, your Highness.” She almost rolled her eyes. She’s heard it all. Heir to a throne of nothing. A failure incapable of harnessing her goddess-given powers. How could it possibly be worse than that?

“What did he say?” she repeated.

He let out a sigh, eyes darting nervously. “He said that your Highness’s mood might improve, if…”

“If?”

“If a man were to take her to bed.” He refused to look at her, his eyes off to the side, his jaw clenched.

She stopped in her tracks, and blinked a few times in bewilderment. “Oh.” She looked forward and forced herself to continue walking. “I see.” She looked down, and allowed herself a few moments to be hurt before telling herself that his words did not affect her. 

“Your Highness?”

She looked up, finally meeting his piercing blue eyes.

“He’s an idiot.”

A smile touched her lips. “Right,” she murmured, blushing as she looked back down at her feet. “Well, thank you.” She acknowledged his gesture to protect her honor. She knew he would protect her physically, but she was surprised and touched to learn he would protect her reputation as well, even behind closed doors. Not that she ever thought her reputation of all things would need protecting. 

But of course it still bothered her the entire day. Mainly because he wasn’t wrong. Not about needing a man to take her to bed, but definitely about needing something to uplift her mood. It made her bitter. She would love nothing more than to be carefree and frivolous, just for an hour. But she was already a failure who couldn’t harness her powers. She couldn’t be a failure who goofed off, too. Not with everyone counting on her. The weight of the world on her shoulders, and some knight has the audacity to suggest a roll in the hay would solve all her problems. 

She sat in front of the mirror that night, brushing her hair before bed. Her eyes were narrowed in resentment at her reflection. The question of what if the rude knight was right taunted her. How could she know? She exhaled defiantly. Her short, plump maid was in a flurry around the room, a large smile plastered on her face. She was quite close with Ananya, even though she was a notorious chatterbox. Despite being in a sullen mood herself, Zelda couldn’t help but notice her maid was positively giddy. 

She gave in to the distraction. “Come on now Anya, tell me what has you worked up already--don’t make me drag it out of you.”

“Oh, well, it’s nothing your Highness. I’m glad you finally found out what the Champion of Hyrule did to his guards in your honor.” Her rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes showed that it was not just nothing. Zelda should have known Anya would be focused on the gossip; Ananya was probably dying to tell her the evening it happened, but Link probably made them swear to keep quiet. If Ananya knew, so did the whole castle. 

She hummed in response. “Yes, he told me he broke the jaw of that other knight.”

“Is that all he told you?”

She turned in response, eyes wide. “Yes. Why?” Her voice was higher than it ought to be.

“That’s not all he did. He broke one’s jaw. And another’s ribs. And another’s femur. And his windpipe. It’ll be a miracle if they recover,” she stopped to shake out a bedsheet over the bed. “The rest of his knights had to pull him off, telling him the King would ask questions if there were bodies slayed in the castle.” She was absolutely beaming. Zelda’s mouth dropped open. 

“My goodness, Anya, why are you smiling?” 

“Well not all of us can have a knight who hospitalizes others in their honor, your Highness! Some of us have to live vicariously through others.” 

“It’s his job to protect me.” Zelda clarified. The last thing she needed was Anya telling the whole castle the Champion of Hyrule had fallen for the princess. 

“Is that what he--” 

Anya was interrupted by the sound of a man clearing his throat. It was Link, quieter than a cat. He was glaring daggers at Anya. Zelda stood up at once. She wasn’t expecting him, and he wasn’t supposed to be in her room at this hour. 

“Forgive the intrusion, your Highness. Your father asked me to tell you--”

“What did the men really say? Their exact words.” Zelda interrupted him. He met her with a blank stare and lips slightly ajar. He wouldn’t answer. They both turn their heads towards Anya. 

“Anya,” Zelda stated, grabbing her attention from Link’s steely gaze.

“Yes, your Highness?”

“What did the men say about me?”

She held the laundry close to her chest and answered with a question. “What did Sir Link tell you they said?” She posed the question so innocently, as if her memory was failing her.

Stupidly, Zelda informed her. “He said that my mood would improve if a man were to take me to bed.” 

Anya nodded her head. “Ah, yes. That’s what they said.”

“Anya, you’re lying!” she yelled.

Anya bowed her head solemnly. “No, your Highness. I swear, that is all I know.” A few moments of silence hung in the air before Zelda relented and dismissed Anya, who scurried past Link out the bedroom door. She was suddenly aware she was standing in front of him in her satin nightgown.

“I hope you’re happy,” she grumbled. “Turning my own maid against me. What are you still doing here? What do you want?” She slammed her hairbrush against her desk. 

His shoulders dropped slightly. She was still upset about what the knights said. He lifted his hand to the back of his neck. Although one sided, he considered Zelda a close friend. She was so angry tears were stinging her eyes, as she stood there, glaring at Link, arms folded across her chest. 

“Would you like to talk about it?” Link offered. The proposal made Zelda blink in surprise. 

“No.” She turned her head, hiding the heat rising to her cheeks. “What could you know about it? People don’t exactly go around spreading rumors about you, saying that you need to get laid.” Quite the opposite, she told herself. They probably talked about how much they wanted him.

“That’s true.” Zelda looked up to meet his eyes. He looked as though he was trying to encroach upon a wild horse. “They mostly complain that I’m too quiet,” he added. That got Zelda to huff in appreciation. 

“You really don’t think what he said was true?” her voice was a whisper. She felt that her only shield was her arms folded across her chest.

He shook his head.

“Do you think...any of what they say about me is true?” A tear betrayed her, sliding over her cheek. She looked down at her feet in shame. She almost jumped when she felt the leather of his glove rest against her cheek, lifting her eyes to his. It was the first time he touched her unnecessarily, and it was more tender than she would have imagined. He looked at her intently with those kind blue eyes as he shook his head. It was her undoing. She threw her arms around his neck and allowed the tears to overflow onto his shoulder. It took him a moment to react, but he held her close to him, his hands petting her back, running his fingers through her long hair, in an attempt to comfort her. He closed his eyes and rested his head against her’s. He couldn’t think of what to say, but he was sure if he could just hold her tightly enough she would be okay.

Time seemed to still, and eventually Zelda’s limbs grew more and more tired, but her eyes never seemed to dry. Link was practically holding her entire weight at this point. Link scooped her up in his arms and walked a few paces towards her bed before placing her down on it. She cradled her face into his chest, still crying, until he sat her on the bed. She sniffed as he wiped his thumbs across her cheeks while she pulled the blankets over her. The skin around her eyes was hot, red, and puffy. As exhaustion forced her to recline back on the pillow, Link leaned over her, cradling her head gently between his hands. 

“I’m proud of you,” he said. It made no sense to Zelda. It went against everything she ever assumed about him. But for some reason, she completely believed him. Somewhere in the back of her head, she knew that her entire body should be resisting such a sentiment--what was there to be proud of? But the way he spoke silenced her inner critics. Suddenly her eyes were dry. 

“Thank you,” she whispered. She lifted her head and met his lips unexpectedly. It was soft, and quick. Too quick, Link thought. He hadn’t had time to react. It was just by way of apology, Zelda told herself. For not believing in him when he had clearly always believed in her. 

“Would you...would you mind staying? Just for a little while?” 

The rational side of Link’s mind was screaming how that broke about fifty rules and everything he was ever taught--but that didn’t stop him from nodding. The way she was pouting he would have given her anything she asked for. And secretly, laying near her was one of his favorite aspects of escorting her out to the shrines to pray. 

He got on the bed, above the covers, just beside her. She laid on her side to rest her head against his chest. It felt more right than any shrine she’s been in. It felt like they could lay there and the Calamity be damned. 

But she awoke to the sound of birds and the feeling of sunshine on her face as Anya pulled back the curtain. The side of her bed was empty, her hand laying where Link’s body once was. Anya seemed started by the princess’s appearance, and she imagined she was quite a site with swollen red eyes. She knew better than to comment, and instead retrieved a bowl of cool water and a washcloth for the princess to soothe her sensitive skin. Zelda forced herself up on her elbows and that’s when she noticed the vase full of wildflowers on her nightstand. 

“Anya, who brought the flowers?”

“Oh, he made me swear not to tell anyone, your Highness,” Anya said with an all-knowing smile. 

“Tell my father I need to go to the Shrine to pray. I’ll need Link to escort me.”


	2. More than One Way to Pray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Under the guise of taking her to pray, Link takes Zelda to a special place to get away from the rumors and the pressure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The people have spoken. Thanks to everyone who commented asking for another chapter. (Also, for context, this is pre-calamity, and after Link saves Zelda so she's in the process of changing of her attitude about him. Also #2 I will be editing the map for the purpose of this fanfiction. So much stuff is so damn far away from the castle. And I use shrine interchangeable with the pools she prays at. You get the idea. Holy praying place.)

“...Where’s Finley?” Zelda said nervously. 

“I’m afraid your horse is under the weather, your Highness,” murmured the stable hand. “He’ll be fine, but he won’t be able to ride today.”

Zelda sighed. She had barely gotten that damn horse to cooperate. The idea of having to start over from scratch with another horse was not how she wanted to start the day. She was about to suggest postponing the trip till the horse was feeling better when Link took a few steps back and began to eye the horses, one by one. Finally, he pointed to a black horse with white “socks.”

“We’ll take her instead.” He walked towards the horse, Alsie. He looked at Zelda.

“I don’t think so. Her name means “strong-willed.”

“Precisely. She’s perfect. Feed her an apple.” He handed her a red one--the horse eyed it immediately and snorted. 

“Why?” Zelda merely looked at the apple, then the horse, then Link.

“So she will like you.” He said, almost as if the point was obvious. But she didn’t reach for it. 

“What if it bites me?” she queried.

To prove a point, he wrapped his fingers all around the apple, and extended his arm sideways to the horse, while making a show of covering his eyes with his other arm. The horse ate the apple, sparing Link’s fingers. She was still not convinced, eyeing the horse’s teeth. 

“Here,” Link grabbed another apple with one hand, and grabbed Zelda’s hand with his other one. He put the apple on his palm face up, and placed Zelda’s hand under his. But just as the horse was about to take a bite, Link moved his hand so that the apple fell into Zelda’s hand, which he held there as the horse took the apple. She flinched and looked away, but did not move her hand. Still holding her wrist, he guided her hand to pet the horse’s head. She took her hand away after a moment. 

“Horses don’t like me,” she protested. 

“That’s because they don’t know you.” He took her hand back and placed it on the horse, covering her hand with his. “Close your eyes. Talk to her.”

“Talk to the horse? And say what?” she furrowed her eyebrows. She tried to picture Link carry on a conversation with Epona while refusing to talk to actual people. 

“I dunno. Complain about me.” The corners of his mouth perked up.

Did her pointed ears deceive her or did Link just make a joke?

She closed her eyes, and allowed her hand to stroke along the horse’s neck in a way that felt natural. It didn’t last long before she opened her eyes again. 

“I can’t talk to the horse with you staring at me,” she blurted. With that, Link grinned. 

“I’ll saddle Epona and leave you two alone. Her name is Alsie.” Link turned and walked down the path of the stables. He fought the urge to look over his shoulder. 

She looked around to make sure she was alone. She breathed out and closed her eyes, and resumed petting the horse. 

“Hi...Alsie. I’m...Zelda. I’ll be taking you to the Shrine to pray...If that’s alright with you.” The horse snorted. “You don’t like being told what to do,” Zelda guessed. She had no idea what made her say that. It was something about the sense of pride the horse carried in its muscles. The way it tensed at the statement until she turned it into a request, when she felt the horse relax. “I get that.” Without thinking, she reached for another apple to feed to the horse, this time without flinching. “I’ll try not to boss you around. We’re both going to have to trust that we’re doing our best.” The horse bobbed its head. 

She opened her eyes and reached for the saddle. This wasn’t typical for her to saddle her own horse, but she had the strange feeling Alsie would respect her all the more for it. She led the horse to the field to meet Link. He was already on Epona, and he looked genuinely pleased to see Zelda handling Alsie. It was a stark difference compared to his normal steely, serious glare. She turned to face her horse as she thought about how warm his gaze felt. She was going to mount Alsie by herself, convinced that would also garner the horse’s respect. Once on, Link gave what she’d like to believe is a nod of approval. Then he set off--in the wrong direction.

She hurried her horse after him. “Link, it’s the other way. Where are you going?”

“We’re going to make a few...detours along the way.” He muttered, almost to himself. 

“But what about praying?” 

He slowed his horse to a halt, and she did the same. He looked at her with a soft smile on his lips when he said, “There’s more than one way to pray, your Highness.” He said it so softly you’d think it was a secret.

She looked at him doubtfully. “Alright. I trust you.” She set her horse into a trot, for which Link was grateful. It prevented her from seeing him blush. He took her trust seriously, and that only made him more resolved in his plans. He reassured himself that there’s no way the King would find out. He took her off the beaten path, and before long, she couldn’t even see the castle. She had no idea where she was, but she could see that was this place’s secret. Undisturbed sat a field of yellow, purple, and white wildflowers, and just about a million ladybugs. Reptiles of all kind played alongside the babbling brook that they followed. Link warned Zelda to not get too carried away--she could accidentally get her horse spooked by a snake. The snakes around here were harmless, he assured her--but the fall from a horse into a brook was not. It was as if he was almost hinting to a personal experience, but Zelda did not want to push her luck with his rare openness. Without her saying a word, he stopped his horse and dismounted, extending her a hand to do the same. 

“We’re stopping?” She was a little puzzled. Link wasn’t against getting sidetracked, but she was usually the one who initiated wandering off to look at something. She took his hand and threw her legs over the side of her horse. However, Alsie was much larger than Finley, and she swung her legs too far, trying to overcompensate. Her foot caught in the stirrup and she lost her balance, had her back not hit against Link’s chest. 

“Careful,” he muttered, holding Zelda upright while he took her foot out of the stirrup before it could get twisted. One she was surefooted, he took the reeds out of the horses’ mouths. 

“I’d thought you’d like to look around.” He took a book out of a bag on the horse’s back. He thumbed through the pages till he found the one he earmarked. He turned the book to show her. “I’ve seen these frogs here before,” pointing to the picture of a yellow frog with lime green eyes. 

“You have?!” Zelda took the book from him. It was a large biology text that she had already read. That Link would also borrow the book puzzled her greatly. “You like frogs, too?” She seemed pleasantly surprised, almost hopeful.

Link looked up from tying his boot, eyes a little wide. “Uhm, yes.” Epona interrupted him pondering whether or not that was a believable lie by nuzzling his side while he was crouched on the ground. The horse almost tipped Link sideways in demand of payment (in apples). Link stood and retrieved more items from the bag (one of which being apples for each horse). The other item was a glass jar, with small holes drilled into the lids. Inside was a thin layer of dirt, twigs, leaves, and a rock. Zelda’s eyes opened wide, sparkling with excitement. 

“We can take one home?” She was almost in disbelief. Link nodded. He handed her the jar and started towards the creek, with Zelda right beside him. They walked on the muddy rocky shore of the creek, eyes peeled for bright yellow blobs. Many false sightings occurred, mostly by Zelda. Link did find two brown ones, perched on the root of a tree. Their throats swelled. Zelda smiled and imitated the gesture, puffing out her cheeks. She took a picture before moving on. Fruit doves cooed at them from the bright green leaves of the maple trees. Epona followed the pair without instruction. Alsie required bribery of an apple. The horses were the first to hear the lapping waves, and trotted towards warm dark sand. The creek opened up to the lake. The horses wasted no time in going directly into the cool water on the warm summer evening. Zelda and Link wordlessly continued along the sandy path, eyes glued to the ground for treasures. Link picked up a scalloped seashell, a soft shade of pink, and handed it to Zelda. Zelda’s eyes closed when she held it up and smiled at Link, and it might have been the most relaxed he’s ever seen her. 

Zelda wanted to ask Link why he brought her here, but she was afraid that it might ruin the magic. Or worse, he might not do it again. So instead she said, “Will you teach me how to shoot an arrow?” Link stopped and looked at her. He chewed his lip, before realizing the point of the trip was not telling her ‘No,’ so he nodded instead. 

He took his bow off his back and set down his bag of quivers, and motioned her to come over to him. He handed her the bow as the horses neighed at the water.

“The oak is your target,” he instructed. She stood facing it, and he corrected her by placing his hands on her hip and turning her so that she was facing perpendicular to the oak. He nudged her feet further apart. “Point your feet straight,” he noted.

“But that’s not how you shoot,” she retorted.

“I’m not a beginner.” She frowned and looked down to make sure her feet were in a square position, shoulder width apart.

“Where’s the arrow?”

“Well first you have to hold the bow correctly.” He positioned her hand on the bow. “Here, wear my gloves.” He pulled them off his hands and handed them to her, and she lowered the bow to slide them on. He was so close to her; he smelled like leather, campfire smoke, and something she couldn’t quite place. Frankincense, she wondered? She was caught off guard when he handed her an arrow and she reraised the bow. He adjusted the height to her shoulder. “Use three fingers. Hold the string in your knuckle. First finger above the arrow.”

“How far back do I pull?”

“How far away is your target?” She made the estimation and adjusted. “The key is to use your back, not your arms.” He placed his hand in the center of her shoulder blades to illustrate. He wrapped around her, placing his hands over hers on the bow and the string. “When you let go of the string, keep pulling your hand back. The bow will tilt forward, but it’s supposed to. Don’t grip the bow so tightly, or the string will hit your arm, and it will hurt a lot. Let go.”

The arrow flew and stuck in the bark of the oak tree. She smiled--widely-- and turned to look at Link, and he nodded with a small smile of approval. 

“Again.” And suddenly his warmth was no longer beside her. He stood back and watched her go through the entire quiver. He would stop her occasionally to adjust her stance or grip, or how she held the bow. By the time she was drawing back the last arrow, her back ached, her arms were sore, and her arrows were no longer going far enough to hit the tree. The arrow landed in the grass a few feet ahead of the tree. He nodded and strode towards the tree to collect the arrows. He closed the distance and placed the arrows back in the quiver, and handed one to her. She made a face. He gestured to continue. She only made a few more arrows, none of which hit the tree. He shook his head.

“You have to dig deeper. When you’re aiming at an enemy, they’re not going to care if you’re tired.” She was starting to remember she had a personal knight for the explicit purpose of not needing to build stamina. He came beside her again, hands over hers. “Breathe in,” he said, helping her draw the string back. When her fingers let go he whispered, “and release.” The arrow hit the bark. She smiled again, and resigned to finishing the arrows in the quiver. When she was done, a cool breeze gave her a chill. 

“Good job. We should head back to the meadow before it starts to get dark.” He took back his bow and quiver. He was whistling to horses with one hand, to get them to stop eating the grass and head back towards the creek. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Zelda was extending her hand. Instinctively, he reached out and grasped it. When he finished whistling, he looked down at their clasped hands, and realized that Zelda was trying to hand him his gloves. 

“Your gloves,” she muttered, trying to hide the smile at her lips. 

“Oh.” The way his ears were burning he realized he must look like a tomato. He slipped his leather gloves back on and they made their way back towards the creek. He was trying to show that he wasn’t embarrassed, forcing his chin to stay parallel to the ground, but he didn’t have to worry long. The seashell still in one hand, Zelda took his gloved hand in hers again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Another chapter will cost another comment. Damn this cruel capitalistic society. Suggestions welcome.


	3. Nothing Ever Really Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Far away from rumors and responsibilities, Zelda lets her emotional guard down to Link in a field of wildflowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what guys?! I finally figured out the plot of the entire work! I know you're supposed to start with that before writing, but I have it now! And it's downright Adequate!

They blushed a little, at first, from holding hands. Friends holding hands is nothing to blush over, Zelda told herself, eyes fixed on the stream they walked beside. But then again, their friendship was relatively new. Link tried to counteract feeling by focusing on their surroundings instead of wondering why she made him blush. He listened as the wind rustled the bright green leaves above them. Birds cooed above their heads to each other, insects buzzed around them, and the running water seemed to have stopped time. The tall green grass speckled with river rocks was leading them back to the meadow filled with purple wildflowers, ladybugs, and something else. He didn’t want her to miss it, but it would only be visible at night.

Zelda was surprised when Link’s hand suddenly pulled away from hers. But when she looked over, he was on his knees, crouched over something. She heard the clink of a lid close around a glass jar. Suddenly, he raised the jar to her in excitement. Inside of it contained a yellow frog with bright green eyes. 

“I can’t believe you caught one!” She took the jar and gazed at the frog. 

“What will you call it?” Link asked. Zelda once confided that she liked to secretly name “specimens” that she was studying, even though science says you’re not supposed to.

“Lemon!” She grinned from ear to ear, eyes closed. She tucked the jar under one arm and stuck her hand out back to Link without looking. 

“Good name,” he grunted. He walked a bit closer to her than he had before. 

It only took a few minutes before they entered the clearing again. Link wasted no time in unpacking the supplies, setting up the tents, and building the campfire. Zelda talked endlessly on every frog fact she could think of. Link listened contently, understanding maybe only half of it. She rarely got the chance to just chatter so unrestrictedly. Her words were as relaxing as the stream. 

“I still couldn’t believe you wouldn’t taste the frog I found--now we’ll never know how useful its effects were.”

He exhaled, adding the last log to the flame. She brought this up frequently. “I’m sorry your Highness,” he stood up and sat beside her next to the fire. “But you wouldn’t let me cook it first.” She was still holding the jar up to her face--she hadn’t set it down.

“That would have tampered with the results and you know it.” She pouted, not taking her eyes off Lemon. “I think Lemon likes me.” 

Link nodded at her with a soft smile. “What would you like to eat?” She shrugged and waved a hand at him, gesturing for him to simply cook whatever. What he made was usually good. Although he would eat anything, he knew to cook more tame meals for her. But she was surprised when he pulled out fruitcake from the supply pack.

She finally set Lemon down. “Cake, for dinner?” She couldn’t believe it. He handed her a plate with a fork. “Why are you being so nice to me? Either what that knight said must have been truly awful, or I should cry on your shoulder more often.” It made her feel guilty, considering she wasn’t always kind to him. The statement made Link freeze in place. 

He looked at her, carefully mulling over his response before speaking. “It’s an experiment, remember?” He took a mouthful of cake. “Alternative methods of praying.” It was a nonresponse. Link had always been good at responding without answering. But right now Zelda couldn’t care. Whatever got her out of that awful rumor mill and kept her from standing in the damn freezing waters.

“You know, we never eat together at the castle.” She pointed out. He looked at her. She had never wanted to eat with him before, nor would a knight with a princess. “I’ve seen you eat with the other Champions. So maybe...we should eat together at the castle too, since we eat together out here anyways.” She took the last few bites of her cake.

Link looked at her out of the corner of his eye, puzzled by the suggestion, but nodded all the same. Suddenly she gasped, which caused Link to nearly knock the plate out of his hands. When he looked at her, her mouth was open in awe and her eyes glittered in the firelight. She was pointing towards a lightning bug. As darkness crept over the meadow while they ate, they came out to play. One was beginning to light up right after another, and soon the meadow was filled with them. 

“I’ve never seen one!” When she turned to Link, he was holding a second empty glass jar out to her. She ran around the meadow in circles, desperately trying to fill the jar. Link sat by the fire, happy to just watch her. It made a weight pull at his chest in a way he couldn’t explain. When the jar was full, she sat back down beside him, studying the jar’s contents.

“To think, there’s so much I haven’t been able to experience…Link?” He met her gaze. “What do you think you’ll do after it’s over?” He knew she meant after Calamity Ganon. He returned his gaze to the sky, looking at the stars beginning to appear. 

“I don’t think it will ever really be over,” he said with a shrug. Worry crept over the Princess’s features.

“You mean you think we’ll lose?” Her voice was high with hurt.

“No!” He quickly reassured her. “Of course not. I just meant...In my experience, there’s always another monster around the corner.” Usually bigger and meaner, but he left that part out. “Nothing is ever really over,” he shrugged once more.

Zelda’s face looked sullen, like it did when she prayed. “What a terrible thought. Just a never ending stream of monsters, one battle after another.”

Link shook his head. “I meant more with you. After Calamity Ganon, there will be something else to protect you from. It always begins and ends with you.” He said it nonchalantly, as if he was describing his plans for tomorrow. 

Zelda looked down, feeling like a burden. “That sounds exhausting.” 

“Not if it’s you.” That statement disarmed her as she looked at him, making her blush. He didn’t speak of her as if she was only worth protecting because she had a holy power. He had a way of making her feel important, power or not. She always read his face as cold, his eyes as stern. But now when she looked at the same face she could only see kindness, with devotion in his eyes. She sighed contently and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Nothing ever really ends…” She muttered. He was right. A statement she first took to mean a dark omen she now saw as a message of hope and perseverance. A small voice inside of her asked, 'Even tonight?' It was a voice of hope and naivety, a request she knew too good to be fulfilled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the work is on me--I felt like a dick for demanding comments in exchange for content lol. This chapter is shorter so I'll try to do the next one quicker. Warning. The next one will be Smutty AF. Sorry in advance, but I gotta keep myself interested too.


	4. It Depends on What You Prayed For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just the teeniest bit smutty. Just a teaspoon of smut. Just a lil. Oh hey today's my birthday,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't tell you how sorry I am for not posting this sooner. I thought about writing every day for the past week. I kept getting cockblocked one reason after another. God did not want me to give you this chapter. Every incredibly kind comment was like a knife to my heart in terms of guilt. But anyways sorry for taking so long and thank you for the encouraging comments! I am writing the next chapter as you read this.

He watched her as she fell asleep in his arms, backs up against a fallen log, still in front of a dying fire. Carefully, he picked her up and brought her inside the tent and laid her down. Despite his better judgement, he laid down next to her. Just for a moment, he told himself. He rolled onto his side and looked at her face. An intense feeling of shame crept up over him. Her shame would be shattered when her powers awoke, he thought. But his shame? Of falling in love with the Princess he was sworn to protect? That was a shame he would carry for all time. He told himself that it wasn’t his fault--what man wouldn’t fall for her? It couldn’t be helped. However, he never let his imagination wander, not even in dark and private moments. That would be unforgivable. But his dreams were another matter. The rhythmic sound of her breathing made his eyelids heavy, and without intending to, he fell victim to sleep, where he was at the mercy of his dreams.

She emerged from the water, soaking wet, in a white dress that was heavy and clinged to her skin. Her eyes were fixed on his, intense and sultry as she shook water out of her hair. She pulled at the fabric and it slid down her body and pulled at her feet. She continued to walk towards him. She grabbed fistfulls of Link’s blue shirt, pulling him to kiss her. She pulled the shirt off of him, and started working on his pants. He couldn’t understand why, but there was nothing Holy, or fragile, or royal about her in this moment--it was this distinct feeling of being unrestricted that he wasn’t used to. He stepped out of his pants and picked her up, letting her wrap his legs around his waist as he carried her to a bed that had no reason to be in that particular setting. 

Laying her down on the bed and climbing on top of her felt natural, dirty, and desperate all at the same time. As if it was something they’ve done a hundred times, but swore they would never do again. Like an opportunity he couldn’t waste. Zelda broke their kiss to turn onto her stomach, getting on her hands and knees. Without wasting time, he pulled her knees apart, positioning himself to slide into her as if it was routine. She felt soft, yielding, warm and wet. He closed his eyes as she moaned, pushing every inch into her. He started to thrust while gripping her hips, but somewhere along the way, one hand migrated to pull her long soft hair while the other rubbed between her legs, circling her clit. Fucking her just like this made her moan in a way that almost sent him over the edge. But she climaxed first, her cries prompting him to thrust harder and harder, his fingers moving faster. When her orgasm began to fade, she let herself fall forward, sliding out of him. She struggled a bit to get off the bed, and he followed, needing more of her. That’s when she got on her knees. Somewhere in the back of Link’s mind alarms went off, telling him that this should feel wrong, but it didn’t. It just felt good as she grabbed him and closed her eyes. She ran her tongue from the bottom to the tip as his fingers tangled in her hair, keeping it from falling in her face. Her lips closed around his head and he--

\--Sat up straight in a complete panic. His breathing was shallow, he was covered in sweat, and he looked around to see he was in a completely dark tent, with a sleeping princess beside him. A noise woke him. He listened as something rustled in the bushes--hooves. It was a deer wandering through their camp. He closed his hands around his face and silently cursed himself. Images were flooding his mind, of unspeakable things. As if he would ever have the princess from behind, and on her knees; he shook his head in shame. No, it wasn’t his place to have the princess at all, let alone such deplorable positions. He had to put some space between them, he needed to-

“Link?” A small sleepy voice inquired. “Where are you going?” Just what he needed--on top of his depraved dreams he had woken the princess. 

“Please, go back to sleep, Princess,” he said in a soft tone. He exited the tent, and she almost obeyed him. Almost. 

He began stripping almost immediately after leaving the tent. Zelda opened the tent just in time to see his shirt hit the floor. He was heading north up the creek, where it would be deep enough to wade in, if it weren’t for the fact the water was freezing. Curious, Zelda quietly stepped out of the tent to follow him. He seemed upset, and she was worried--she told herself. He was out of view behind the trees when he had shed his pants and shorts. By the time Zelda had caught up with him--it was difficult to be quick and not be heard--she could hear him splashing into the creek. It didn’t make sense to her. The water had to be freezing. But the guilt of her spying was creeping back on her.

She knew what it was like to have no privacy, and doing that to him wasn’t fair. She turned around, ready to silently make her way back to the tent before she got caught. She made about three steps when she heard Link let out a groan. She froze, eyes widening. Her heart began to race as she questioned herself--surely she didn’t hear what she thought she just heard. But then it happened again, a second time. Was he…? No, she shook her head. She forced her body to move back towards the camp, more quickly this time. She could feel herself blushing, completely embarrassed for having invaded his privacy like that. She got into her tent with her tail between her legs, and quickly got back under the covers. When she heard his footsteps reapproaching the tent, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. But he didn’t reenter the tent. She sat up. 

Link was busy laying out his sleep map outside by the embers of the fire--where he should have laid down to begin with. A small voice startled him.

“Aren’t you coming back to bed?” Zelda was standing outside of the tent entrance. How long had she been awake? She wasn’t waiting for him, surely? He stood there, looking at her. He wasn’t sure how to answer. 

“You’re soaking wet,” she pointed out. She stepped toward him and picked up a blanket on the floor between them, and patted the water droplets off his chest. He put his pants back on, but not his shirt, she noted. Playfully, she ruffled the blanket on top of his head, trying to get the water out of his hair. His hands caught her wrists and she lowered the blanket, pressing it against his chest. 

“Please go back to bed, Princess.” His voice was a whisper. 

“I feel safer with you in the tent with me.” She declared. He smiled; it was a lie and they both knew it. 

“I promise I’ll keep you safe out here.” He wasn’t relenting.

She sighed. “But you’ll be cold,” she protested. He merely shook his head. With that she was out of excuses. She turned back towards the tent. When she laid down, her mind floated back to what he was doing in the creek. Was there a chance he was thinking about her? No, she told herself. He could have been thinking about anyone, it’s not as if she knew about his private life. Or maybe he was just doing it just to do it. She turned her head to the side, staring at the empty space beside her. Maybe, just maybe, he was thinking about her. The thought excited her. 

She hadn’t caught a man’s attention like that before. No man entertained the idea of courting the princess to a throne of nothing. Not that she had time to consider such matters. But in the dead of night miles away from the castle, she found she suddenly had time on her hands. The idea of Link, who reacted to nothing, not the pressure, not the taunting, not her mean jibes, getting pleasure at the idea of her? The way he watched her, protected her, did these nice things for her...Maybe it wasn’t the first time he thought about her that way? What did he think, exactly, anyway? When he was in the creek, what did he like to think about doing to her?

She tossed in frustration. There was no way she was going to sleep tonight. And suddenly, an idea crept up on her. 

“Link? Are you asleep?” She whispered as loudly as she dared. Hearing nothing, she rolled onto her back and let her legs relax. She slid her hand underneath the fabric of her panties. 

In his defense, he was asleep when she asked the question. But it was her first moan that caused his eyes to open. He thought nothing at first. But then she moaned again, and it was unmistakable. Just like his dreams. Maybe he was dreaming again. She exhaled in pleasure. He swore he could almost hear her fingers working herself up. Every muscle in his body froze. He couldn’t allow the thought to enter his mind. She was dreaming, he told himself. What she did in the privacy of her tent was none of his business. But then an unexpected thought came to him. 

What if… What if she was thinking about him? He desperately wanted that to be true. He closed his eyes when she moaned softly. Maybe she was pretending that her fingers were his. Did she like to focus on her clit or work her fingers in and out to get off? Or both? Her breathing became quicker, and he knew she was close. He thought about how he would use his tongue to get her to orgasm. That would probably make her climax the loudest. He was thinking about tasting her when she finally did climax, although it was muffled through clenched lips. He rolled onto his side, frustrated all over again, but not really minding this time.

When Zelda woke up in the morning, she didn’t hear Link rustling around like usual. She stepped out of the tent, dressed, and was surprised to not see him in the camp. Suddenly, a gloved hand covered her mouth and was pulling her down to the ground. Startled, she turned to see Link, holding a finger to his lips. He gestured to the distance where she saw a Bokoblin rummaging in bushes, oblivious to their camp. He reached behind him for his bow and arrow. Zelda placed her hands on his, gesturing that she would like to try to take the shot. He sighed. If she missed, the damn thing would make noise, and would alert others nearby. But they were an easy kill, so he handed her the bow and arrow. 

He thought he would have to remind her of what they went over, but he didn’t have time. She positioned the bow and pulled the arrow back effortlessly, letting it fly. She made the shot perfectly, the arrow lodging in the creature’s head. He looked at her in surprise. That was...hot. He realized he was focusing on her lips, leaning into her. He stopped, realizing he needed an excuse as to why he was so close to her. So he leaned in further and paused before whispering in her ear, “Good shot,” before he pulled himself away from her. 

“Good morning,” she returned. “Did you sleep well?” She liked how the question made his ears grow pink. She was testing a theory. 

“Did you?” 

Now it was her turn to blush. “Yes, I did, actually.” She said, looking down. “But I’m afraid we have to go back to the rumor mill now, don’t we?” 

He nodded, standing up, offering a hand to his princess. He put the bow back. 

She sighed, walking towards her horse. “I can’t wait to hear what they have to say about yet another unsuccessful prayer.” He helped her onto her horse before giving her a quizzical look. 

“Unsuccessful? I guess that depends on what you prayed for, your Highness.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If by happenstance you enjoyed the smut, I wrote two other one-shot Zelink smuts: Heat and Beg.


	5. You Never Asked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to your regularly scheduled fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus to make up for the smut in the previous chapter--don't worry this chapter is smut free.

They were back at the castle, and the Champions were there, waiting for them. Zelda had ordered Link to go down and join the Champions at dinner while she changed into something more appropriate. Daruk, who was too large to fit through most castle doors, was happily enjoying a large pile of rocks outside. Mipha and Urbosa were listening to Revali chatter on. Link sat a little further away at the long table, enjoying his dinner. He enjoyed the Champions’ company--he just wasn’t always sure how to express it. He just hoped the Princess would join us soon. It was the mention of her title that caught his attention. 

“No luck yet with the Princess’s powers yet, eh?” It took a moment for Link to realize Revali was addressing him. He shook his head, fork still in his mouth. Revali rolled his eyes. “Are we sure the King doesn’t have another child somewhere?” Revali muttered. Link’s eyes narrowed. 

“Revali, that’s rude,” Mipha said in a quiet, but stern voice. 

“I’m just saying. What if she’s a dud. What if it skipped her. Shouldn’t we start planning on how to defeat Calamity Gannon without her?”

“Knock it off Revali, that’s not funny.” Urbosa warned. Yet he continued. 

“I just think we might need to accept the fact that she might be a failure. Do we even need her? I bet I could--”

“Shut up.”

The entire room turned to Link in utter shock. Link had stood up from the table, glaring at Revali. 

“What did you say to me?” Revali also stood up from the table. 

“Shut up,” Link repeated as Revali towered over him.

“Oh yeah, or wh--”

Link never gave him the chance to finish before punching him in the beak with all he could muster. His father told him the better man always allows his opponent the first throw--but the better fighter doesn’t. 

That’s how Zelda walked in on her esteemed champions. Link trapping Revali in a headlock on the floor, Mipha and Urbosa desperately trying to separate the two. Link had a murderous look in his eyes, but finally released Revali when he saw her. Mipha successfully pulled Link away. Revali was spluttering, wings flapping, squawking out obscenities. Urbosa dragged the angry Rito out the door to calm down. 

“I’ve never seen Link angry before,” Mipha whispered to Zelda as she stood beside her. Link had kneeled on one knee in front of them, looking down. It was how one showed remorse to royalty. Zelda sighed. 

“Mipha, do me a favor and see if you can heal Revali’s wounded ego. Link, I believe you better escort me to my room before retiring for the night.” Mipha nodded and followed after Revali and Urbosa as Link stood to face his princess. She reached out and grabbed his hand before they walked back towards her chamber. She thought about what Mipha said. She doubted that after the endless amount of taunting and goating, Link finally broke. No, if Revali’s jabs bothered him, he would have snapped ages ago. She thought about the only other time she knew of Link fighting. 

“Ah,” she said in realization. Link turned to look at her. “I take it Revali also thinks I can...loosen up. Be a bit less...uptight.” Link looked away; he’d rather her think that then know the truth. She took his silence as affirmation. “Honestly Link, if you’re going to beat up everyone who dislikes me, you may just double your enemies.” He cast a worried glance in her direction. “Just who do you expect to operate the Divine Beast if Revali’s in the infirmary?” She was trying to lighten the mood. 

“You’re not upset?”

“When you mess up? Not a chance.” She playfully pushed his shoulder with hers. “You should do it more often.” She smiled at him, and he let out a breath of relief. He liked this new habit of holding hands when no one is around. 

“Although, no one says you’re too uptight. Tell me Link, what do you do to unwind?” They had just approached her bedroom door. She expected him to say something athletic but if he said “nothing”--or worse, “fishing”--she would scream. 

She didn’t expect him to take a step closer to her. “Do you want me to show you?” She looked into his eyes and swallowed, but nodded. She didn’t know why, but she expected him to push her bedroom door open. So she was caught off guard when he took her hand and led her towards the opposite direction in complete silence. It was about twenty paces before she realized they were heading towards his quarters. When they approached her door, Link cast a nervous glance around. “Can you keep a secret?” He whispered. There was a mischievous light in his eyes. She nodded. “Stay here.” He opened his door and was gone. Zelda glanced around to make sure no one was around, although she still wasn’t sure why. That’s when he emerged with something large in his arms. 

“Oh….My….” Zelda said. Before she could react, Link placed the thing in her arms, and it started purring. It was a large, fluffy, orange cat. 

“Her name is Zahira.” Link smiled brightly. That was the secret. Of course her no-nonsense father wouldn’t allow something as frivolous as a pet around. Zahira nuzzled into the princess and purred loudly. “She likes you.” Link commented. Zelda had a feeling that Zahira liked everyone, but said nothing.   
Zelda walked past Link into his room to keep the cat from prying eyes. Link’s room was minimally furnished of course, but she did notice that Zahira had her own corner set up just for her. Zelda sat on the carpet in the middle of the floor and Link joined her. The cat wandered into Link’s lap, soaking up all the attention. It was that image of the perfect Hero of Hyrule nuzzling a fat cat that made her start laughing. The harder she tried to stop, the more she couldn’t. 

“I’m sorry, but…” she waved her hand to stop her eyes from watering, “you’re telling me, that your secret weapon is a cat!” Link smiled as she kept laughing. “Something tells me a cat would only make my rumors worse,” she continued. But even as she said that, she started to get why the cat helped. As it wandered back over to her, the cat didn’t care what powers she could or could not harness. The cat was not concerned about the rumors. It has no concept of what a good versus a bad princess is. She was beginning to like the cat. And Link could tell. 

“You can come visit her whenever you like.” He said. She looked up from Zahira’s golden green eyes and smiled at him. 

“Really? I might just take you up on that.” 

After Link escorted her back to her room and they said their goodnights, Zelda climbed into bed. But she couldn’t sleep. She laid there. She prayed. She read about Sheikah technology. Then she read about frogs. But nothing helped. So she took Link at his word and put on her slippers. She muttered some excuse about needing milk to the guards outside her door. How she made it to Link’s room and past his door unseen she’ll never know. The room was almost pitch black, but she could see what a large lump on the bed that she assumed was Link, and a smaller lump she assumed was Zahira. Zahira climbed off the bed and immediately jumped into Zelda’s arms. At first Zelda nuzzled the cat, bouncing it in her arms for several minutes. Then she figured, no harm in looking around. It wasn’t easy, because she couldn’t see much. There wasn’t a whole lot of knick knacks or furniture to inspect, anyway. But when she turned away from the desk towards the bed, she was startled to see that the large black lump was sitting up.

“Princess?” She had dropped the cat.

“The cat--I was here visiting Zahira. Like you offered. Couldn’t sleep.” Link got up and faced his nightstand as he lit a candle.

“Looking for something?” he said slyly, not yet facing her.

“...Cat toy.”

He walked up to her, wearing only shorts and she in her nightgown. He bent down to her feet and picked up a stick with a long string tied to it. At the end of the string was a feather. He placed the stick in her hand. “It’s her favorite.” He informed. “That is what you were looking for?”   
She nodded. But now she has seemed to misplaced the cat. The cat was on the floor beside the bed. They both scuttled to the floor, resting their backs against the side of the bed. They took turns making the feather dance in front of the cat. Sometimes the cat acted as if killing the feather was necessary to restore its honor. Other times the cat simply stared at it. 

Zelda let her head fall on Link’s shoulder. Time seemed to blur--had it been twenty minutes or two hours? “I still can’t believe you never told me you had a cat.” Her lids were beginning to grow heavy. 

“You never asked.” That was the last thing she remembered before waking up alone in her bed. Zahira could learn a thing or two from Link’s sneaky cat-like behavior, she decided. She almost wouldn’t have believed it had happened if it weren’t for the orange fur all over her nightgown. What a lucky cat, she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I gave Link a cat. Not sure why.


End file.
